Can Psilocybin Mushrooms Help Cure Mental Illness?

Advocates of hallucinogens claim that substances that alter the conscious may be a key to treating mental illness and can be more effective than some prescription drugs. There has been a resurgence of interest in psychedelic research in the last few years with promising results. However, treatments using restricted Schedule 1 drugs like psilocybin are legal only for limited research at this time.

Dr. David E. Nichols, psychedelic research expert and co-founder of The Heffter Research Institute, explains:

“We have been able to accomplish so much in such a relatively short time. Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, is proving a prodigious treatment for anxiety, depression, addiction, and one study even found it might lead to neurogenesis, or the regrowth of brain cells.”

This is great news for the hopeful development of successful new treatment options for common mental health issues. What is the evidence supporting such claims? Here is a list of recent studies.

In a study by Dr. Michael Bogenschutz, at the University of New Mexico, researchers gave psilocybin-assisted therapy to 10 volunteers with alcohol dependence.Drinking decreased significantly beginning in the second month of treatment, after psilocybin was administered, and improvement remained significant for an additional six months of follow-up.

A study by Dr. Matthew Johnson at Johns Hopkins, administered psilocybin within a 15-week smoking cessation treatment. Participants were 15 healthy smokers with a mean of six previous lifetime quit attempts who were smoking an average of 19 cigarettes per day for 31 years. Measures of smoking behavior showed that 12 of the 15 participants (80 percent) were no longer smoking at six-month follow-up.

In a study at the Imperial College London, scientists found psilocybin reduced blood flow to the cingulate cortex, the region of the brain responsible for extreme thoughts or behavior.

These few, small studies indicate that psilocybin could produce great results. Much more research involving larger groups will be needed to conclusively prove the positive benefits of the therapeutic use of hallucinogens, particularly psilocybin. Three-phase drug studies with FDA approval will also have to be completed before these types of drugs can be removed from the list of substances with no medical purpose. Safety and quality control are always important and will also need much more research.

The problem is that pharmaceutical companies are not interested in researching an inexpensive substance that has been around for a long time. There is no money to be made with a non-patentable drug that is given only once or twice in a lifetime.There is the sad dilemma. Research of hallucinogens at this time is primarily done by non-profit organizations. Fortunately, holistic approaches are becoming acceptable in main-stream science today, and hopefully enlightened medical scientists will prevail over profit-seeking.

I lived in SF in the 60s; used to say, “If you can drop it, snort it, or smoke it, I’ve tried it.” I can't say that anymore; too many new substances have entered the illicit marketplace, and my druggie days have long since passed. But I did love psilocybin. Never a bad trip. There may be negatives associated with it; my experience was always positive.

In addition to the benefits you write about, I think there is one other:

Rather than inducing hallucinations, it (other so-called hallucinogens, as well) relaxes the filter, through which we humans normally view surroundings. The filter that convinces us a computer chair we sit upon (for example) is solid, instead of what it really is: billions of minute particles, congregating together, engaged in their voluntary and intricate dance. In truth, the world dances around us, while we, filtered and distracted, fail to see. So-called hallucinogens allow access to that dancing world. And I’ve no regrets for having seen the wonder that surrounds us.

Despite what I see as great potential for the use of hallucinogenics in addiction treatment, I think the best use might be to open channels for psychotherapy, rather than to blunt cravings for other substances. There is danger in these drugs, too, if used improperly. Hallucinogens may facilitate great insight into the self and into the causes of a person's addiction. But psilocybin or LSD or other hallucinogens carry risk along with reward.

Isn't there some sort of addiction treatment from South American Shaman types that uses hallucinogens? Didn't Bill W like to cruise around with a little blotter acid in his pocket in case he felt the need to drink.

Big Pharma may not have any interest in this bout our society and therefore our government should. Lets take some of the war on drugs money and spend it on this. Lets pull some of the money from the Bureau of Prisons, is isn't like they do anything constructive with it.
What does NIAAA have to say about this.

Of course if we put people back in control of their drug use we won't have a war to fight or people to put in prisons and NIAAA will be unnecessary. Maybe corporate America should fund the research. Surely they have an interesting in decreasing the lost productivity rates of their employees.